On May 7, 2024, the General Assembly passed H.B. 5523, a budget stabilization bill that appropriates funds for fiscal year 2025 and makes a number of different policy changes to K-12 education and other areas. Along with maintaining the $150 million in additional funding for K-12 education in FY 2025 that was allotted as part of the state budget passed last year, the bill overhauls how Connecticut distributes state education funding to school districts.
On May 3, 2022, the Connecticut General Assembly passed an adjusted state budget for fiscal year 2023. This budget amends the biennial state budget passed by the General Assembly on June 17, 2021. These budget snapshots provide a nonpartisan look at how the adjusted budget for FY 2023 compares to current and budgeted spending and revenue levels, detail key policy changes, and provide estimated town-by-town runs for the Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant.
This policy briefing from the School and State Finance Project focuses on how state and local funds are allocated to charter schools in Connecticut and its comparison states of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund was created by Congress in March 2020 to help states and school districts throughout the country combat the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students and K-12 education. This infographic breaks down the federal ESSER funding the State of Connecticut and its school districts have been awarded under the three COVID-19 relief packages passed by Congress.
As part of the state budget for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the Connecticut General Assembly made several changes to the ECS formula, including expanding the types of districts eligible for the formula's Regional District Bonus, and increasing the amount of funding per student provided by the Bonus. This document provides an overview of these changes to the Regional District Bonus, and answers some of the most common questions about this component of the ECS formula.
This frequently asked questions document covers the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and the federal aid it has provided to states and school districts as part of the stimulus and relief packages passed by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.